I see he has an e-mail address at the bottom of page 2. He deserves some nasty e-mails I think . After all the work some of us go to to increase awareness and some beeping doctor (who probably isn't an allergist) goes and says things that are so stupid like this, and once again blaming the poor mother...I suggest a nasty e-mail campaign I'll wait till I have a really bad day to send one...it may be good venting therapy! I am PMSing next week...that seems like the perfect time!

the Archives of Internal Medicine in 2004 reported that the average person's chance of food-induced anaphylaxis is about 4 in 100,000 per year. Roughly the same number of Americans each year die from lightning strikes as from peanut allergies.

Well, who goes out in a ightning storm? At least we can better control our exposure to peanuts/allergens? In fact this statistic is after such vigilance.

Quote:

In the families surveyed in 2002, the rate of peanut allergies among children under 5 was essentially the same as the rate among 6- to 10-year-olds, indicating no sudden increase in allergic youngsters.

So...are we looking at the rise of aergies or the number of children these families are having? Stupid statistic reporting at it's best/worst!

Quote:

A well-publicized household telephone survey published last year in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology suggested that rates of peanut allergies among children had doubled from 0.4 percent of the total population to 0.8 percent between 1997 and 2002. But the data were not verified by allergy tests, and it's not clear whether the numbers are meaningful.....The only similar study of peanut allergy using clinical testing and not surveys occurred in Britain's Isle of Wight and found an increase from 0.5 percent to 1 percent of all children from 1989 to 1996. However, the study was small, and the authors said the difference was not ''statistically significant"

Is it just me or do these two studies both show a doubling in the numbers
0.4% x 2 = 0.8%
0.5% x 2 = 1.0%

Quote:

Studying peanut allergies is complicated since the diagnosis can be uncertain. The only 100 percent reliable way to tell if someone has a peanut allergy is to feed them peanuts or a placebo in a clinical setting to see if a reaction occurs -- a so-called food challenge. But because of the cost and the slight risk of precipitating a severe reaction, this test is not often done.
Instead, doctors usually rely on the safer skin prick test, in which a tiny dose of peanuts gets injected under the skin to see if a hive forms.

I was under the impression we did skin prick tests first was because you could die the other way! Much like trying to see if a person was a witch in the olde days!

Well I found this article to be very irresponsible, so I sent the doctor an email letting him know exactly that. Want to read it?

Dr Sanghavi,

I find your article "Peanut allergy epidemic may be overstated" (Boston Globe, Jan30/06) to be....ridiculously irresponsible.
The main problem food-allergic children face, is the ignorance and disbelief of friends, family members, school adminstrators and the general community. As you might imagine, the results of such ignorance are not only dangerous, but emotionally devastating, especially to a child who's self-esteem is still developing. A document such as this, which attempts to downplay the severe and life-threatening experiences, should perhaps be published in a medical journal, where other doctors could consult or debate your position with you. Printing it in a newspaper...I don't understand your intent. But I can tell you the result. The next time I try to politely ask Jimmy's mom if she minds if I peruse the ingredient list, she can shove your article in my face. And my son can risk his life to eat Jimmy's birthday cake, or go home crying. Oh well....silly me for following my pediatric allergist's instructions.
I can't help but wonder, what is the real reason you felt compelled to write this article? Is it because your son had that birthday party you described, and perhaps you were embarrassed that you hadn't asked any of his friend's parents about food allergies or sensitivities? After all, being a doctor, perhaps you should have known better...

How does it feel, making it just a little bit easier for my son to come into contact with a life-threatening substance? The next time an ignorant person is confronted with his allergy, they can quote Dr Sanghavi. They can tell me how they read all about it in the Boston Globe, how peanut allergies really aren't that dangerous you know, you could die more readily from being struck by lightning. You do realize that's what people will remember, don't you? Well guess what, I don't take my kid out for walks in lightning storms either. The thing is, most people understand lightning can be dangerous. And some of them were starting to understand food allergies are dangerous. Now you've helped them take 2 steps back. You have done a great disservice to a lot of people. Stick to what you know, whatever that is.

Wow, i've inspired you to write a letter...that makes me feel good. If we don't stick up for our situations (my child, in my case), then obviously ignorance will continue to prevail.
Good luck with your letter. Thanks hubby for the cheering!

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